Horn



Aug. 1a, 1925. 1,550,459 s G. J. SEISS HORN Filed July 9. 1924 Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

GEORGE J. 'snrss,

PATENT ore-Ice.

or TOLEDO, OHIO;

HORN.

Application filed July 9;

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I," GEORGE J. Snrss, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Horn, which invention is fully de scribed in the followingspecification.'

My invention has for its object to provide, a simple and efiicient sounder in the form ofa horn,that is used to produce a resonant sound which may be described as heavy and raucous, and consequently the horn may be used for signalling or warning, and which may be made at a low cost of production. The invention particularly provides a construction" wherein the parts. are few inv number and may be cheaply made and easily assembled.

Constructions containing the invention may vary in the form of their details. To illustrate a practical application of the invention I' have'selected a horn, containing the invention as illustrative of such struc tures andshall describe it hereinafter. The structure selected as an example is shown in (the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 illustrates aside view of ahorn containing my invention, a part of the shell and resonator being shown broken away in order that certain details of construction may be shown. Figure 2 illustrates a rear view of the interior of the shell and shows an edge, view of the actuating parts of the horn. Figure 3 is a view of a hori-. zontal section taken on the line 33 indi cated in Fig. 1.

The horn is preferably made from parts that may be formed by die-cutting and pressing them to shape, and'parts that may be riveted and spun ,to secure them together. The hornis provided with a shell 1, a, diaphragm 2 and a resonator part' 3. The shell is for containing the diaphragm actuating parts. The diaphragm andresonator are connected together and the two are removably connected to the shell. The diaphragm 2 is a sheet metal disc that is secured along its edgeby means of aninturned flange at formed on the resonator part 3 of the horn. The resonator has a flaring part 5 that is provided with the inturned flange 4 that encloses the edge portion of the diaphragm 2 and so as to make contact with opposite sides of the diaphragm 2- along the edge and to securely clamP @116 d gm between th Pa ts of 1924., Serial No. 725,011.

the inturnedflange 1. The flange 4 is also provided with tongues 6 that protrude from the inturned portion of the flange 1, and the shell 1 is provided with notches 7 located in a flaring flange 8. The notches 7 have dimensions that are substantially the same as the tongues 6 and the outer diameter of the flaring flange 8 is substantially the same as the diameter of the edge of the flange 1, and thus the tongues 6 may be inserted through the notches 7 and con-- sequently when the resonator 3 is rotated relative to the shell 1, the tongues 6 will engage the flaring flange 8 of the shell 1 and consequently lock the resonator 3 to the shell 1 and secure the diaphragm 2 in. position relative to the parts that mechanically operate thereon to sound the horn.

The diaphragmQis provided with a sound button 10 that may be secured to the diaphragm by means of a riveted stud 11 that protrudes from the button 10. In order to more securely fasten the button 10 to the diaphragm a washer 12 may be located on the side of the diaphragm opposite to that on which the button 10 is located and before the stud 11 is riveted over, whereby opposite sides of the diaphragm will be securely clamped between the washer 12 and the button 10 about the opening that is formed to receive the stud 11. The button 10 is of the form well known in the art, it being provided with a protruding nose 13 to be engaged by means of a ratchet wheel 14, also of a type well known in the art. The ratchet wheel 14 is located, on the sleeve 15 and is secured thereto by means of forcing the ratchet wheel on the sleeve and then spinning or rivetingdown the edge 16'0f the sleeve. A pinion '17 may be secured to the sleeve15 in the same manner or may be made integral therewith. The ratchet and the pinion 17 are rotatively supported by means of a shaft or pin 18 that extends to the oppositesidcs of the shell 1 and is secured in position byg means of riveted ends of the shattf18. A rack 19 meshes with the pinion 17 and thus rotation of the pinion and the ratchet; 14 may be produced'by movement of-the rack 19, which will cause the teeth of the ratchet 14 to rapidly engage with the no'se 13 of the button 10 and cause the diaphragm to vibrate at a high rate,

i The ratchet wheel 14 is supported so: as to float in "its." reverent d r gts operas tion on the button 10. This gives to the diaphragm a greater freedom of operation and yet it maintains the ratchet in constant engaging relation with the button, with the result that a more effective sound is produced and does away with the moreretined adjustments commonly required in connec tion with the horns of the type described to maintain more eflicient results. The refinements of adjustments are required because of slight deformation of the diaphragm, changing of elasticity of the diaphragm and wearing of the button and of the ratchet wheel. By my invention a means for such adjustments may be entirely done away with, and consequently the construction may be greatly cheapened and the parts per manently secured in position. In order to support the ratchet wheel 14 so that it will fioat with respect to the button 10, the inner surface of the sleeve 15 is made considerably larger than the shaft 18 and an elastic means is provided for pressing the ratchet wheel against the button 10. Thus the ratchet 14 will be maintained in position to operate on the diaphragm through the button10, while the diaphragm i free to vibrate towards and away from the axis of rotation of the ratchet 1 1 and so that it may move the ratchet 14'; in its vibrations. This construction thus enables the diaphragm to produce its maximum oscillatory movements and yet respond to the movement of the teeth of the ratchet over the button 10.

In order to maintain the ratchet wheel 14: in engaging relation to the button 10 and yet permit the floating movement of the ratchet 1 1, a tension spring 20 is connected to the lower end of the rack 19 and to the upper part of the shell 1, and so as to be disposed diagonally with respect to the diaphragm 2 and to draw the rack 19 against the pinion 17 and also to draw the rack 19 upwards. Thus the pressure of the rack 19 against the pinion 17 produced by the spring 20 causes the ratchet- 1 1 to be yieldingly pressed against the nose 13 of the button 10, and also the rack 19 is elastically returned by means of the spring 20 when it is pressed down to cause rotation of the ratchet l t to operate the horn.

The raclr 19 is provided with a protruding shank 21 that is riveted to a button 22. The button 22 is conveniently shaped so that the rack 19 may be pressed downward by pressure of the palm of the hand on the button 22. The rack 19 is preferably an interior rack formed along the edge of a slot 23. The sheet metal of which the rack 19 is formed is stepped laterally and so as to locate two portions 2 1 and there of in parallel planes located in spaced relation to each other. The rack 19 is formed in the portion 2% while the portion is located at the end of the pinion 17. The

ratchet 14 is secured in position on the shaft 18 by means of a sleeve 26 that is lo cated between one side of the interior of the shell 1 and the sleeve 15, and the washer 27 which is located on the shaft 18 at the other end of the sleeve 15 and which is pressed against the sleeve 15 by means of the spring 28 which is located between the washer 27 and the other side of the interior of the shell 1. The washer 27 is held in spaced relation from the pinion 17 by a part of the sleeve 15 that protrudes beyond the end of the pinion 17. This space, between the end of the pinion 17 and the washer 27, forms a channel extending around the sleeve 15, in which the portion 25 of the sheet metal piece from which the rack is formed, is located. This arrangement prevents the rack 19 from shifting laterally and slipping from engaging relation with the pinion 17 while the two springs 20 and 28 operate to hold the moving parts of the horn tightly together and thus prevent any rattling of the said parts when the horn is shaken. Also this construction for maintaining the rack 19 in position avoids the necessity of providing a special bearing between the shank 21 and the shell. The opening within the shell is sufficient merely to guide one end of the rack 19 while the lower part of the rack is held in position by the channel formed between the end of the pinion 17 and the washer 27.

The horn may be secured to any supporting part, such as the frame or bar of a bicycle, by means of the bracket 30 that is riveted to the shell 1 by means of the rivetmember 31 that extends through the sleeve 32 and the washer 33.

1. In a horn, a diaphragm having an impact member, a floating ratchet for operating on the impact member, a reciprocating means for operating the ratchet, an elastic means for returning the reciprocating means to its normal position and pressing the ratchet against the impact member.

2. In a. horn, a diaphragm having an impact member, a floating ratchet for operating on the impact member, a pinion connected to the ratchet, a rack for operating on the pinion to cause rotation of the ratchet and elastic means for pressing the rack against the pinion to elastically press the ratchet against the impact member.

3. In a born, a diaphragm having an impact member, a floating ratchet for operating on the impact member and a pinion connected to the ratchet, a rack for operating on the pinion a diagonally disposed spring for holding the rack against the pinion and pressing the ratchet against the impact member and returning the rack to its normal position.

4. In a horn, a diaphragm having an impact member, a ratchet for operating on the said impact member, a pinion connected to the ratchet and having a reduced cross secsional area formed at the end portion of the pinion, a rack for operating the pinion and having an edge portion located at the said end portion of the pinion for preventing the rack from moving along the teeth of the pinion in one direction and an elastic means for maintaining the rack in operative relation to the pinion.

5. In a horn, a diaphragm having an impact member, a ratchet for operating on the said impact member, a rotatable means hav ign a channel and a pinion connected to the ratchet, a rack for operating the pinion and having an edge portion located in the said channel for maintaining the rack in engaging relation with the pinion and an elastic means for maintaining the rack in operative relation to the pinion and the ratchet against the impact member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE J. SEISS. 

